KatieLu is No Longer Two

Happy third birthday, Kathryn Lucia Biddison!  

You truly are a delight to our hearts, each and every day, and we love you dearly.  

Happiness is...

Happiness is listening to my children laugh together.



And then this happens.

Happy First Birthday, Joshua!

At 3:34 pm on March 24, 2009, we welcomed Joshua Roger into the world.  In many ways, it seems like it's been so much longer than a year!  He's become such a huge part of our lives and our family.

March 20, 2010

Last weekend we had family and a handful of friends over to our house to celebrate.  We were so blessed to have a gorgeous sunny afternoon, so the party was outside.  Hard to believe that just a month ago we were under feet of snow!

My mom and I set up a taco bar for the adults.  It was a lot of work, but the end result was so yummy.

We got an Elmo cake and cupcakes from Sam's Club -- another big hit.  Joshua is mesmerized by Elmo (I'm wondering if someday a study will reveal that Elmo actually has hypnotic powers...).  Party favors were Sesame Street books.

The kids loved eating tacos, nuggets, and cake.  They also loved running around in the sun.  My friend Michelle brought some fun outdoor toys, and my brother Jason helped secure a moon bounce for us to use. 

After most of the guests had left and Joshua had taken a nap, it was gift time.  Joshua's cousins and sister had a great time "helping" him open his gifts.  And Joshua loves each item he got. 

One gift in particular touched Mommy and Daddy's heart as well: John's brother Jamie gave his nephew his own favorite teddy bear and book from when he was a boy.

March 24, 2010

We were supposed to celebrate Joshua's birthday today with our playgroup, but unfortunately Katie has a fever and we had to cancel the festivities.  We still had a fun day though.  Uncle Daniel came over for four hours and ate with us, played with us, and went with us on a walk (it was ANOTHER beautiful sunny day today).  Joshua and Katie got Elmo cake for both lunch and dinner.  And Joshua lit up every time Katie and I sang "Happy Birthday" to him.  He was absolutely adorable and joyful all day long.

Quick and Fun Facts

Joshua: Apparently Joshua pulled up from sitting to standing for the first time last night. He was crawling around in the family room and suddenly he was standing next to the couch holding on. Go Joshua! I was out on a girls' night so John is the lucky witness to this milestone.

Katie: Two funny things that Katie has said recently:

1. On several occasions Katie has mentioned "Joshua's other belly button." It took me awhile to realize that this is how she understands his different anatomical element. :-)

2. Tonight we were reading "I'll Teach My Dog A Lot of Words" by Michael Frith. We read the page below:

Her response to the bottom left picture?

"Is that JESUS??!!!!"

A Poem for John on his 36th Birthday

On November Sixth, Nineteen Ninety Eight,
We met up at ten for our fateful first date.
We both were surprised by our immediate connection
And spent several years deepening this affection.

We were meant for each other, we always knew,
And so, on July Seventh, Two Thousand and Two,
When you sang for me and your intentions professed,
You knew before you asked that my answer was yes.

On March Twenty-Second, Two Thousand and Three,
I was grafted into your family tree.
And though I cried as I said goodbye to our guests,
I knew as we left I was incredibly blessed.

In Two Thousand and Five we couldn’t stop crying
As we disappointed each other and loved ones kept dying.
But our marriage was made stronger by the trials we faced,
And God showed us anew the extent of His grace.

Two years later a daughter brought joy,
And two years after that, along came a boy.
Though parenthood definitely has moments of stress,
The heartwarming moments make up for the rest.

And John, as we enter Two Thousand and Ten,
Please know that I’d happily do this all over again.

He's Crawling!

After 10 1/2 months I had finally decided that Joshua was going to skip crawling altogether and go straight to walking. He could sit up by himself and even pull himself to a kneeling position by holding onto ledges. He had learned to get around by rolling and lunging, and anytime he tried to crawl he'd still end up either bellyflopping on the floor or backing himself underneath a bed or table. So today I spent awhile with him teaching him to keep his balance while standing and holding onto something. And he's doing it! See below.

A few hours and a nap later, I was playing with Joshua on the floor and I started to see him move his knees underneath himself in a way he never had before. Tonight John saw him do the same thing. So while Joshua is still very tentative about it, we are happy to announce that YES, he is crawling!

By the way, as excited as we are about these new developmental milestones, I must tell you my FAVORITE thing Joshua does. He headbangs! Katie did the Baby Dance, and Joshua headbangs. I don't know where he learned it, but it happens a lot when he hears music. He typically does it when he doesn't think I'm looking (I glance over to find him rocking out!), but today he was nice enough to headbang for the camera. See below.

Favorite Recipes: Chili

While I will never been as prolific as my friend Sarah, I thought I'd use this forum to occasionally post our favorite family recipes. Here's a yummy and easy chili recipe from my friend Amy. I'll be making it for the Superbowl on Sunday.

Chili

Ingredients:
4 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes
32 oz. frozen corn, thawed
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups salsa
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

1. Brown ground beef and onion in skillet. Drain.
2. Put everything in a crockpot and heat for several hours.
3. Enjoy!